Archives for August 2008

A couple of years ago my granddaughter, then a senior in high school, made CapriSun purses. Small purses, just what all the girls wanted, and she sold TONS of them! She sold them for $15 each, and had a waiting list for them. Now if I’d been smart, I would have watched her make them, written some instructions to pass along, or at least would have been able to make them myself! She is now in Italy with her Air Force husband and baby, so can’t “run down the street” to get the information.

HOWEVER, I did find a super tutorial on making kids pencil bags out of the CapriSun containers at SkipToMyLou.org, and I think this is an awesome idea. Here’s the tutorial for you to try.

I made this juice bag pencil pouch for my son’s first day of school. He really wanted the Kool-Aid Sport juice bags (because they look Cool) but the store was out and this is what we had.

You need 4 juice bags and an 8 inch zipper for this little pencil case. If you need a larger pencil bag try 3 bags lined up vertically.

Cut a slit in the bottom of each empty juice bag and rinse. Allow bags to dry.

Lay two bags end to end, one on top of the other. They should measure 9 1/2 inches in total length. Stitch through the bags at the bottom of the top bag. I found a heavy duty needle (like for denim) helpful. I was also using a heavy duty thread. Repeat for other size.

Stitch one side of the zipper to the top of the bags —right sides together.

Notice carefully where to stop stitching. Do not stitch to edge.

Stitch the other side of bag to the zipper, again right sides together.

Lay zipper and bags flat and top stitch down each side of zipper.

Bring bags together wrong sides together. Fold zipper ends down on each side.

Starting at top side stitch down the side, across the bottom and up the other side.

Everyone who sews has a drawer or basket full of handy little sewing notions. tools and gadgets – most of them are necessary tools, and some are just there because they looked like they’d be nice to have, so we bought them.

Today I’ll talk about two handy little tools that I find very handy to have. First is the Buttonhole Spacer and Sizer

This handy measuring tool can be used for many things, but it has been designed for spacing and sizing of buttonholes. Since there is a horizontal ruler and a vertical ruler attached, forming an “L” shape, it enables the sewer to determine both the spacing between buttonholes and the size of the buttonhole. The horizontal ruler slides easily up or down the vertical ruler to the point for the next buttonhole measurement.

Secondly we have a “Point Turner and Button Gauge”

The point turner is the part I use the most on this little tool because I either use the simflex gauge or buttonhole spacer and sizer for the buttonholes. The point turner is a super valuable tool for anyone needing to “turn” collars or even square corners on garments or craft items. With the point turner you can easily turn those corners for a professional look.

Both of these tools can probably be found at Joanns, or perhaps WalMart and can be purchased online as well – the cost of each of them is under $3.00 and are well worth the price!

Jenni Ruffini is finding that money goes to the dogs. The Decatur native lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where there is a market for her dog clothes.

A June graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, she seemingly has found a niche in the designing business.

“Women spend hundreds of dollars on dog clothes around here,” she said. “A lot of high-end-class women are divorced and don’t have children. They treat their dog like royalty. I’ve seen dogs eating at the table in fancy restaurants in Miami.

“Women like to have their dogs wear the same sort of clothes worn by their mommy,” she added.

“Dog clothes are a fad. It’s a new culture, and it’s growing. In Florida, there’s a dog store in every other block. You know that dogs are nicer than people – they’re always there for you, and they want to make you happy.”

Ruffini has designed all kinds of dog outfits: jackets, shirts, caps, fashionable harnesses and Halloween clothes. “The challenge is to have my clothes accepted in the animal specialty shops,” she said. “I’ve designed women’s clothes. Although I can do any kind of clothes, I believe dog fashion is the way to go.”

Ruffini has a dog of her own, a Jack Russell terrier named Bambina. “She’s my inspiration,” she said. Ruffini is working two jobs, as a seamstress at a dry cleaning store and as a seamstress in children’s clothes. She also has worked at a dog boutique.

“My ambition is to own a dog boutique and day care business,” she said. Ruffini said she grew up in a family who excelled in many types of arts.

“My family members have encouraged me to go into the direction of being open-minded and creative with life choices,” she said. “I have been taught to be precise and time-efficient with my projects.”

She started sewing around the age of 7. She would make everything, including Barbie and doll clothes, even purses. “I soon found myself excelling in sewing, which opened my eyes to fashion and what it meant to me,” she said. “Fashion to me is wearing items that make you feel as if you are the fashion leader, no matter if you are trendsetting or not.”

A 2004 graduate of Eisenhower High School, Ruffini thinks her only weakness is being a perfectionist. “I will never let a stray thread or a broken stitch line be seen by anybody but me,” she said. “I find that because I have checked off my long list of experiences and knowledge needed to get me a career-based job, I have gained many steps forward.”

Mariella Adrian, one of Ruffini’s Fort Lauderdale teachers, calls her a “brainstormer.”

“Her concepts and ideas were always interesting,” Adrian said. “Her attention to details made her pieces distinctively hers. Her popcorn dress for a wine and food festival last year was a tremendous hit. Her final collection, incorporating the fashion capitals and the pet dog collaboration, was a remarkable idea.”

Recently celebrating the production of their 50 millionth machine, Janome America, Inc., a leading manufacturer of home sewing machines, takes another revolutionary step in the sewing industry with the introduction of the Memory Craft 11000 Special Edition (MC11000 Special Edition). This versatile machine is three sewing machines in one with new advanced features and options that will leave quilters everywhere astounded by its sophistication while leaving sewist and embroidery enthusiasts in awe.

“We wanted to build upon the amazingly precise sewing and embroidery capabilities of the highly successful Memory Craft 11000,” says Jiro Hagiwara, president and CEO of Janome America, Inc. “The result is the Memory Craft 11000 Special Edition. This new revolutionary machine incorporates the latest technology and provides options for endless design possibilities, making it unlike any other machine on the market today.”

The Janome exclusive AcuFilTM Quilting System, consisting of groundbreaking functions such as Stippling in the Hoop, takes quilting to unprecedented heights that outshine the competition by incorporating features to help simplify the quilting process and guide quilters more than any other machine. The AcuFilTM Quilting System is the most comprehensive quilting system integrated into your embroidery machine for unparalleled functionality. The AcuFilTM Calculator and AcuFilTM Quilting Hoop (AQ) help quilters to measure materials, layout stippling and line up multiple hoopings effortlessly and precisely. The AcuFilTM Print Tool enables quilters to connect the machine to a computer and print out design and layout templates for an area big enough for a 10′ x 10′ quilt.

With the largest movable i-heightTM color touch screen and advanced sewing application support as well as the two-way connection to a PC, the MC11000 Special Edition includes all the features that made the MC11000 famous. The unique carriage-arm embroidery system gives industry-leading stitch quality with robotic precision for a professional finish. The MC11000 Special Edition packs the most power and possibilities into the sleekest design on the market, all without requiring a big, bulky embroidery attachment. The beloved Sewing Applications, originally found in the Memory Craft 11000, have also been enhanced for the Special Edition. This function gives on-screen guidance to sewists by automatically setting stitch length, width and tension based on sewing purpose, fabric type and weight. The new AcuGuideTM Automatic Cloth Guide allows crafters to set the desired seam allowance in the machine while the cloth guide precisely aligns with the measurements to make tasks like hemming a breeze.

In addition to these exceptional functions are expanded embroidery and sewing features including automatic jump thread trimming and on-screen adjustable speed while embroidering. If a thread breaks or is stopped during embroidery, the MC11000 Special Edition will pick up right where it left off, so crafters never miss a beat. The machine also includes unlimited design options with 358 decorative stitches, such as built-in “hand-look” quilting stitches as well as longer decorative stitches, 13 buttonholes, 72 embroidery designs and 24 AcuFilTM Quilt designs. To add to the enjoyable sewing and quilting experience, the MC11000 Special Edition helps keep quilters comfortable with an adjustable ergonomic knee lifter.

Janome America is the largest subsidiary of Janome Sewing Machine Company of Japan, which produces nearly two million sewing machines annually as well as a line of related sewing products and embroidery software. Janome is a category leader in innovation and Janome sewing machines are recognized throughout the industry for their ease-of-use and unsurpassed stitch quality. For more information, please visit: www.janome.com.

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